Print Friendly VersionSpotlight Archive
Spotlight August 2005
Victoria's Story
Victoria is a 46-year-old woman who was in a car accident in December of 2002. She received a spinal cord injury as a result of this car accident and was sent to a nursing home after hospitalization. She needed to find an apartment that could accommodate her need to now use a wheelchair for mobility. That's when IndependenceFirst got involved.
Due to her hospitalization, Victoria had given up her apartment that was inaccessible and received assistance from IndependenceFirst in locating a new wheelchair accessible apartment. After several months of physical rehabilitation and trying to find a suitable apartment, Victoria moved out of the nursing home and into the place that IndependenceFirst had located for her.
After settling into her new place, Victoria received additional supportive services from IndependenceFirst in the areas of assistive technology and peer support to help in dealing with issues related to her new disability. These services were key in having an impact on how she deals with multiple sclerosis, an earlier diagnosis prior to her car accident. Now she had a double disability!
Victoria's employer has been very supportive of her giving her a short leave of absence to deal with issues before returning to employment. She is now fulltime in her job once again. Victoria is very happy that she was directed to IndependenceFirst and thankful to staff who provide her with a lot of new information and support.